Information processing device, information processing method, and program

ABSTRACT

Provided is an information processing device and an information processing method, the information processing device including a control unit that, on the basis of a position of a recognized operation object, dynamically controls output of an information associated with at least one operation region in which the recognized operation object is located, the control unit being configured to, in a case where the recognized operation object is located in the operation region, control execution of a device function corresponding to the operation region in which the recognized operation object is located, and the operation region including a region incapable of being visually recognized by a user.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to an information processing device, aninformation processing method, and a program.

BACKGROUND ART

In recent years, technology has been developed for causing a device tooutput sounds to notify a user of information regarding regions. Forexample, in PTL 1, there is disclosed technology for guiding a user bynotifying the user of region information to be used as a movement routefor the user by using sound waves emitted from sound source devices.

CITATION LIST Patent Literature [PTL 1]

-   Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 2000-285378

SUMMARY Technical Problem

Meanwhile, in a case where a user performs an operation for a device ina region that the user is unable to visually recognize, a situation mayarise in which it is difficult for the user to confirm whether or notthe operation is being correctly performed at an intended portion in theregion. In the technology written in PTL 1, however, such a case where auser performs an operation for a device in a region incapable of beingvisually recognized is not taken into consideration.

Solution to Problem

According to the present disclosure, provided is an informationprocessing device including a control unit that, on the basis of aposition of a recognized operation object, dynamically controls outputof an information associated with at least one operation region in whichthe recognized operation object is located, in which, in a case wherethe recognized operation object is located in the operation region, thecontrol unit controls execution of a device function corresponding tothe operation region in which the recognized operation object islocated, and the operation region includes a region incapable of beingvisually recognized by a user.

Further, according to the present disclosure, provided is an informationprocessing method including, on the basis of a position of a recognizedoperation object, allowing a processor to dynamically control output ofan information associated with at least one operation region in whichthe recognized operation object is located, and in a case where therecognized operation object is located in the operation region, allowingthe processor to control execution of a device function corresponding tothe operation region in which the recognized operation object islocated, in which the operation region includes a region incapable ofbeing visually recognized by a user.

Further, according to the present disclosure, provided is a program forcausing a computer to function as an information processing deviceincluding a control unit that, on the basis of a position of arecognized operation object, dynamically controls output of aninformation associated with at least one operation region in which therecognized operation object is located, the control unit beingconfigured to, in a case where the recognized operation object islocated in the operation region, control execution of a device functioncorresponding to the operation region in which the recognized operationobject is located, and the operation region including a region incapableof being visually recognized by a user.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a diagram that describes an outline of an informationprocessing terminal according to the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a diagram that describes a functional configuration example ofan information processing terminal 10 according to an embodiment of thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 3 depicts diagrams that describe examples of notification-soundoutput control based on a gesture type, which is performed by thecontrol unit 130 according to the embodiment.

FIG. 4 depicts diagrams that describe examples of notification-soundoutput control based on the number of fingers of a user, which isperformed by the control unit 130 according to the embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a diagram that describes an example of notification-soundoutput control based on a movement direction of an operation object,which is performed by the control unit 130 according to the embodiment.

FIG. 6 depicts diagrams that describe an example of notification-soundoutput control based on a movement direction of an operation object,which is performed by the control unit 130 according to the embodiment.

FIG. 7 depicts diagrams that describe an example of notification-soundoutput control based on a movement direction of an operation object,which is performed by the control unit 130 according to the embodiment.

FIG. 8 depicts diagrams that describe examples of changes of a pitch anda density of a notification sound output from a single sound source,according to present embodiment.

FIG. 9 depicts diagrams that describe examples of notification-soundoutput control based on comparison of a movement distance of anoperation object with a predetermined threshold value, which isperformed by the control unit 130 according to the embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a diagram that describes an example of operations regionsaccording to the embodiment.

FIG. 11 depicts diagrams that describe examples of output control of anotification sound corresponding to an operation region in which anoperation object is located, which is performed by the control unit 130according to the embodiment.

FIG. 12 depicts diagrams that describe an example of notification-soundoutput control in a case where it is predicted that an operation objectis to be moved to the outside of operation regions, which is performedby the control unit 130 according to the embodiment.

FIG. 13 is a diagram that describes an example of output control ofnotification sounds corresponding to individual operation regions, whichis performed by the control unit 130 according to the embodiment.

FIG. 14 is a diagram that describes an example of output sound volumecontrol of notification sounds corresponding to individual operationregions, which is performed by the control unit 130 according to theembodiment.

FIG. 15 depicts diagrams that describe position relations between anoperation object and a plurality of operation regions and output controlbased on the position relations, according to the embodiment.

FIG. 16 depicts diagrams that describe an example of notification-soundoutput control associated with a reference region, which is performed bythe control unit 130 according to the embodiment.

FIG. 17 depicts diagrams that describe an example of notification-soundoutput control associated with a reference region whose position isoptionally determined, which is performed by the control unit 130according to the embodiment.

FIG. 18 is a diagram that describes an example of a case where operationregions exist in a space, according to the embodiment.

FIG. 19 depicts diagrams that describe an example of a case where, adistance between an operation object and an information processingterminal 10 is indicated as a recognized status and execution control ofa function associated with the information processing terminal 10 isperformed on the basis of the distance by the control unit 130 accordingto the embodiment.

FIG. 20 depicts diagrams that describe an example in a case where anoperation region exists in a space, which is performed by the controlunit 130 according to the embodiment.

FIG. 21 is a diagram that describes an example of a flow of operation ofnotification-sound output control that is based on comparison of amovement distance of an operation object with a predetermined thresholdvalue and that is performed by the control unit 130 according to theembodiment.

FIG. 22 is a diagram that describes an example of a flow of operation ofnotification-sound output control based on a gesture type, which isperformed by the control unit 130 according to the embodiment.

FIG. 23 is a diagram that describes an example of a flow of operation ofthe output control of a notification sound corresponding to an operationregion, which is performed by the control unit 130 according to theembodiment.

FIG. 24 is a block diagram illustrating a hardware configuration exampleof an information processing terminal 10 according to an embodiment ofthe present disclosure.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENT

Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment of the present disclosure will bedescribed in detail referring to the accompanying drawings. Note that,in the present description and the drawings, constituent elements havingsubstantially the same functional configuration will be denoted by thesame reference signs and thereby duplicated descriptions thereof will beomitted.

Note that the description will be made in the following order.

1. Outline

2. Embodiment

-   -   2. 1. Functional configuration example    -   2. 2. Specific examples        -   2. 2. 1. Specific example 1        -   2. 2. 2. Specific example 2        -   2. 2. 3. Specific example 3        -   2. 2. 4. Specific example 4        -   2. 2. 5. Specific example 5        -   2. 2. 6. Specific example 6

3. Operation examples

4. Hardware configuration example

5. Summary

1. OUTLINE

First, an outline of the present disclosure will be described below. Inrecent years, technology has been developed for causing an informationprocessing terminal, such as a headphone, an earphone, or the like,which is worn on the ears of a user and outputs sounds to executepredetermined functions by allowing the user to directly operate theinformation processing terminal. Such technology makes it possible toexecute music playback processing, music-playback stop processing, andthe like on the basis of, for example, touch operations onto theinformation processing terminal, and enables achievement of furtheruser-friendly operations that do not need any other device.

Further, for such an information processing terminal including aproximity sensor, technology has been also developed for, on the basisof a predetermined gesture having been executed by a hand of the user ina real space where detection by the proximity sensor is possible,causing a function corresponding to the gesture to be executed. Thistechnology makes it possible to execute processing for sound volumecontrol or the like on the basis of, for example, change in distancefrom a hand of the user to the terminal, in the real space, and thus,even for an earphone type device for which it is difficult for the userto perform direct touch operations, the above technology enablesachievement of further user-friendly operations that do not need anyother device.

However, for the operations for the terminal according to the abovetechnologies, such situations as described below may arise.

First, operations for the headphone or the earphone that is worn by theuser may be executed at portions, such as ones on a side face of theheadphone (housing surface), which the user is unable to visuallyrecognize. For this reason, the user is unable to confirm whether or nota gesture that the user is executing is being executed as intended bythe user. As a result, in a case where a gesture type different from agesture type intended by the user has been recognized by the terminal, asituation may arise in which, at a stage when a function different froma function desired by the user has been executed, the user notices thata different gesture type has been recognized.

Further, the user is unable to grasp at which of operation executableportions the hand of the user is located, in a region that the user isunable to visually recognize. For this reason, a situation may arise inwhich the user is unable to perform an intended operation. For example,when the user performs, in the headphone, a swipe operation in apredetermined direction on a housing surface having a touch panel, asituation may arise in which, in a case where the user starts the swipeoperation from the edge of the housing surface, an operation up to asufficient distance cannot be performed. Further, in the case where anoperation is performed on the basis of a gesture in a space, the user Uis not in contact with the terminal, and thus, it is more difficult forthe user to grasp at which position the gesture is being executed in thespace.

The technical thought of the present disclosure has been conceived of inview of the above points, and the present disclosure is intended toenable a user to, in a region that the user is unable to visuallyrecognize, confirm success/failure of each of operations, and perform awider variety of operations.

Here, an outline of an information processing terminal 10 according tothe present disclosure will be described with reference to FIG. 1. FIG.1 is a diagram that describes an outline of an information processingterminal according to the present disclosure. FIG. 1 illustrates theinformation processing terminal 10 serving as a headphone and worn by auser U.

In a case where the information processing terminal 10 has recognized apredetermined gesture operation by a hand H of the user U, which is anoperation object, in an operation available region on a housing surface,the information processing terminal 10 executes a function correspondingto the recognized operation. Here, the information processing terminal10 is capable of notifying of information regarding the functioncorresponding to the gesture operation, on the basis of a recognizedstatus regarding the operation object that is executing thepredetermined gesture operation. Here, in an example illustrated in FIG.1, the notification of the information may be executed by means ofoutput of sound.

Further, the information processing terminal 10 is also capable ofrecognizing at which position the hand H of the user U exists in anoperation region, and outputting information corresponding to theoperation region in which the hand H of the user U exists. Here, in theexample illustrated in FIG. 1, the output of the information may beexecuted by means of the output of sound. Note that, in the presentdescription, hereinafter, examples in which the information processingterminal 10 is a headphone or an earphone will be described.

2. EMBODIMENT 2.1 Functional Configuration Example

Subsequently, a functional configuration example of the informationprocessing terminal 10 according to the present embodiment will bedescribed. FIG. 2 is a diagram that describes a functional configurationexample of the information processing terminal 10 according to thepresent embodiment. The information processing terminal 10 includes aninput unit 110, a recognition unit 120, a control unit 130, an outputunit 140, a storage unit 150, and a communication unit 160.

(Input Unit 110)

The input unit 110 receives various kinds of information. The input unit110, for example, receives operation inputs from a user. The input unit110, for example, may include a touchpad on a housing surface to receivetouch operations from the user. The input unit 110 may detect contactsof the operation object with the touchpad. Further, the input unit 110may include a proximity sensor to detect the operation object beinglocated in the real space. Hereinafter, a region used for an operationin a region in which the input unit 110 is capable of detecting theoperation object will be also referred to as an operation region.

Here, the input unit 110 may include a microphone for capturing externalsound. An external sound signal having been captured by the input unit110 through the microphone may be used for external sound eliminationprocessing. The information having been received by the input unit 110is transmitted to the recognition unit 120.

(Recognition Unit 120)

The recognition unit 120 executes various kinds of recognitionprocessing on the basis of the information having been transmitted fromthe input unit 110. The recognition unit 120 recognizes that apredetermined operation is being executed. Further, the recognition unit120 has a gesture recognition function. The recognition unit 120 iscapable of recognizing a slide on the touchpad, or the execution of agesture in the real space where the detection by the proximity sensor isavailable, on the basis of the result of the detection by the touchpador the proximity sensor. The result of the recognition by therecognition unit 120 is transmitted to the control unit 130 as arecognized status.

(Control Unit 130)

The control unit 130 performs control of individual constituent elementsof the information processing terminal 10.

Further, on the basis of a recognized status regarding the operationobject that is executing a gesture in an operation region, the controlunit 130 may dynamically control the output of notification informationregarding a function corresponding to the gesture. Here, as describedabove, the recognized status regarding the operation object is theresult of recognition having been recognized by the recognition unit120. The control unit 130 controls the output of the notificationinformation according to various statuses included in the recognizedstatus. Further, here, the notification information is informationassociated with a gesture being executed. The information associatedwith the gesture that is being executed is, for example, suchinformation as enables the user U to understand a gesture type havingbeen recognized by the recognition unit 120. Further, the notificationinformation is, for example, a notification sound.

In the present description, hereinafter, examples in which thenotification information is the notification sound will be described,but, as a matter of course, the notification information may beexpressed by information other than sound information. Other examples ofthe notification information include vibration information and the like.A configuration in which the control unit 130 controls the output of thenotification information on the basis of the recognized status enablesthe user U to confirm whether or not the gesture has been recognized asintended by the user U in a region that the user U is unable to visuallyrecognize.

Further, the control unit 130 may control, on the basis of a position ofthe operation object, which is indicated by the recognized status, theoutput of notification information associated with an operation regionin which the operation object is located. Here, examples of thenotification information associated with the operation region includeinformation indicating whether or not the operation object is located inthe operation region, information indicating, in the case where aplurality of operation regions exists, at which of the operation regionsthe operation object is located, and the like. Note that, as describedabove, in the following description, hereinafter, examples in which thenotification information associated with the operation region is anotification sound associated with the operation region will bedescribed. The control unit 130 controls execution of a functioncorresponding to an operation region in which the operation object islocated. Here, examples of the function include an output sound volumecontrol function, a music forward function, a music go-back function,and the like. A configuration in which the control unit 130 controlsoutput of information associated with an operation region in which theoperation object is located enables the user U to confirm whether anoperation is to be executed at a place intended by the user U.

For the notification-sound output control by the control unit 130,specific examples will be described later.

(Output Unit 140)

The output unit 140 outputs various kinds of information according tocontrol by the control unit 130. The output unit 140, for example,causes a driver unit to output sound. Examples of the sound output bythe output unit 140 include the above-described notification sound.Further, the output unit 140 executes a predetermined function accordingto the control by the control unit 130. Further, the output unit 140 mayinclude an actuator to output the notification information by means of avibration.

(Storage Unit 150)

The storage unit 150 stores various kinds of information regarding theoperation of the information processing terminal 10. The storage unit150 may store, for example, sound source information to be used as thenotification sound.

(Communication Unit 160)

The communication unit 160 performs information communication withanother device. For example, the communication unit 160 receives soundinformation from the other device. The sound information having beenreceived by communication unit 160 is, for example, output to the user Uby the output unit 140 via the control unit 130. Further, examples ofthe other device include a music player, a smartphone, and the like.

2.2 Specific Examples

Subsequently, specific examples of notification-sound output controlperformed by the information processing terminal 10 according to thepresent embodiment will be described.

2.2.1. Specific Example 1

First, the control unit 130 may dynamically control output of anotification sound on the basis of a gesture type of a gesture that isbeing executed by the operation object and that is indicated by therecognized status. Here, the gesture type means a type that isdetermined on the basis of, for example, how the operation object hasbeen moved in an operation region. In the case of the headphone equippedwith the touchpad, examples of the gesture type include an operationobject's horizontal-direction sliding movement on the touchpad, anoperation object's circle-drawing movement, like moving while drawing acircle, on the touchpad, and the like. Notifying the user U of a gesturetype being recognized by the recognition unit 120 as a notificationsound enables the user U to confirm whether or not a gesture currentlybeing executed is recognized by the information processing terminal 10,as a gesture intended by the user U. Further, in a case where thereexist functions associated with the information processing terminal 10and executed as functions corresponding to gesture types, the user U isalso able to confirm whether or not a gesture corresponding to afunction intended by the user U is recognized.

In the description below, examples of notification-sound output controlbased on a gesture type, which is performed by the control unit 130according to the present embodiment, will be described with reference toFIG. 3. FIG. 3 depicts diagrams that describe examples ofnotification-sound output control based on a gesture type, which isperformed by the control unit 130 according to the present embodiment.FIG. 3 illustrates the information processing terminal 10 serving as theheadphone and worn by the user U.

In the left-hand area of FIG. 3, the hand H of the user U, which is theoperation object, is moving on the touchpad (flick movement) in ahorizontal direction. It is indicated by the recognized status that thehand H of the user U is moving in the horizontal direction, and thus,the control unit 130 is causing the output unit 140 to output anotification sound corresponding to the horizontal-direction movement.

In the right-hand area of FIG. 3, the hand H of the user U is moving,like rotating on the touchpad. It is indicated by the recognized statusthat the hand H of the user U is moving while drawing a circle, andthus, the control unit 130 is causing the output unit 140 to output anotification sound corresponding to the horizon-direction movement.Here, the notification sound output from the output unit 140 isdifferent from the notification sound that is output in the case of theleft-hand area of FIG. 3.

In the example illustrated in FIG. 3, cases where the notification soundis output on the basis of the type of a gesture being executed have beendescribed, and in addition thereto, the control unit 130 may control theoutput of a notification sound on the basis of the number of fingers ofthe hand H of the user U, which are executing a gesture. Thisconfiguration makes it possible to, even when the user U is executing asimilar gesture, cause a notification sound corresponding to each of thenumber of fingers to be output, thereby enabling the user U to confirmwhether or not a gesture corresponding to the number of fingers that isintended by the user U is recognized.

In addition to the above, the control unit 130 may output thenotification sound further on the basis of a movement speed of theoperation object that is executing a gesture. This configuration makesit possible to confirm the degree of the change of a setting value, andexecute further detailed operations. Further, in a case where thecontrol unit 130 is incapable of identifying the type of a gesture beingexecuted, the control unit 130 may cause a notification soundcorresponding to a preliminary operation of the gesture to be outputuntil the identification of the type becomes possible, and at a stagewhen the identification of the type has been successfully made, thecontrol unit 130 may cause a notification sound to be output on thebasis of the type of the gesture being executed.

In the description below, an example of notification-sound outputcontrol based on the number of fingers of a user, which is performed bythe control unit 130 according to the present embodiment, will bedescribed with reference to FIG. 4. FIG. 4 depicts diagrams thatdescribe examples of notification-sound output control based on thenumber of fingers of a user, which is performed by the control unit 130according to the present embodiment. FIG. 4 illustrates the informationprocessing terminal 10 serving as the headphone worn by the user U.

In the left-hand area of FIG. 4, one finger of the hand H of the user Uis moving on the touchpad (flick movement) in a horizontal direction.Here, it is indicated by the recognized status that a gesture using twofingers is being executed, and thus, the control unit 130 is causing theoutput unit 140 to output a notification sound corresponding to such ahorizontal-direction movement.

In the right-hand area of FIG. 4, two fingers of the hand H of the userU are moving on the touchpad in a horizontal direction. Here, it isindicated by the recognized status that a gesture using two fingers isbeing executed, and thus, the control unit 130 is causing the outputunit 140 to output a notification sound corresponding to such ahorizontal-direction movement. Here, the notification sound output fromthe output unit 140 is different from the notification sound that isoutput in the case of the left-hand area of FIG. 4.

In this way, the output notification sound is changed on the basis ofthe type of a gesture being executed and the number of fingers that areexecuting a gesture. Note that the control unit 130 may output thenotification sound only in a case where the recognized status indicatesthat the number of fingers of the user U that serve as the operationobject is a predetermined number. For example, in the case of theexamples illustrated in FIG. 4, the control unit 130 may output anotification sound only in a case where it is indicated by therecognized status that the gesture using two fingers is being executed,that is, while, for example, two fingers are continuously in contactwith the touchpad. This configuration enables the user U to furtherclearly grasp the recognized number of fingers.

Here, when the operation object moves across an operation region, thecontrol unit 130 may dynamically control the output of a notificationsound on the basis of a movement direction of the operation object,which is indicated by the recognized status. Specifically, the controlunit 130 may change the output feature of a notification sound on thebasis of the movement direction of the operation object, which isindicated by the recognized status. The output feature of a notificationsound here corresponds to, for example, the frequency, pitch, density,sound volume, and the like of the notification sound. A configuration inwhich the notification sound is output on the basis of the movementdirection of the operation object enables the user U to confirm whetheror not the operation object is being moved as intended by the user U.

Here, examples of notification-sound output control based on themovement direction of the operation object, which is performed by thecontrol unit 130 according to the present embodiment, will be describedwith reference to FIGS. 5 to 7. FIGS. 5 to 7 are diagrams that describeexamples of notification-sound output control based on a movementdirection of the operation object, which is performed by the controlunit 130 according to the present embodiment.

FIG. 5 illustrates a graph G1 representing the change of a notificationsound based on the movement direction of the operation object. Asillustrated in the graph G1, for example, the pitch of the notificationsound may be gradually increased as the operation object is movedrightward, whereas the pitch of the notification sound may be graduallydecreased as the operation object is moved leftward. Further, asillustrated in the graph G1, for example, the density of the sound to beoutput as the notification sound may be gradually increased as theoperation object is moved upward, whereas the density of the sound to beoutput as the notification sound may be gradually decreased as theoperation object is moved downward. In addition, in a case where theoperation region is denoted by a region PR, the pitch and the density ofthe notification sound may be determined on the basis of the position ofthe operation object in the region PR. The control unit 130 may outputthe notification sound in a way following the movement of the operationobject.

FIGS. 6 and 7 illustrate the information processing terminal 10 servingas the headphone and worn by the user U. Here, as illustrated in FIG. 6,in a case where the recognition unit 120 has recognized that theoperation object is moving from the left side to the right side (i.e.,from the rear side to the front side) of the touchpad, the control unit130 gradually increases the pitch of the notification sound. Further, asillustrated in FIG. 7, in a case where the recognition unit 120 hasrecognized that the operation object is moving from the bottom side tothe top side of the touchpad, the control unit 130 gradually increasesthe density of the notification sound.

Meanwhile, the frequency and the sound volume of the notification soundmay be determined on the basis of the movement direction of theoperation object. Particularly, in a case where the notification soundincludes a single sound source, the pitch and the density of thenotification sound may be determined on the basis of the movementdirection of the operation object. Outputting such a notification soundincluding the single sound source enables the user U to further easilygrasp the change of the notification sound. For example, changing therepetition number of single sound-source outputs at a time of anoperation of changing a predetermined setting value enables the user Uto further specifically grasp how the setting value is being changed.

Here, examples of the changes of the pitch and the density of anotification sound output from a single sound source, according to thepresent embodiment, will be described with reference to FIG. 8. FIG. 8depicts diagrams that describe examples of the changes of the pitch andthe density of the notification sound output from the single soundsource, according to the present embodiment. FIG. 8 illustrates graphsG2 to G4. The graph G2 illustrates a state in which the single soundsource is repeated. Further, the graph G3 illustrates a state in whichthe single sound source is repeated in such a way that the density ofthe repeated single sound sources is high, as compared with the graphG2. Further, the graph G3 illustrates a state in which the pitch of thesingle sound source is decreased, as compared with the graphs G2 and G3.

2.2.2. Specific Example 2

Meanwhile, there exists a device configured to allow a function to beexecuted in a case where an operation object has been moved at apredetermined distance, and as an example of such a device, there existsa smartphone, which is configured to, on a lock screen, allow a swipeoperation at a predetermined distance on a touch panel to release thelock. Similarly, also in the information processing terminal 10according to the present embodiment, the control unit 130 maydynamically control the output of the notification sound on the basis ofthe comparison of a movement distance of the operation object with apredetermined threshold value. Specifically, the control unit 130 maydynamically control the output of the notification sound on the basis ofthe difference between the movement distance of the operation object andthe predetermined threshold value. Here, the movement distance of theoperation object is a movement distance of the operation object in theoperation region, and the predetermined threshold value may be apreliminarily determined value.

Here, examples of notification-sound output control based on thecomparison of a movement distance of the operation object with apredetermined threshold value, which is performed by the control unit130 according to the present embodiment, will be described withreference to FIG. 9. FIG. 9 depicts diagrams that describe examples ofnotification-sound output control based on the comparison of a movementdistance of the operation object with a predetermined threshold value,which is performed by the control unit 130 according to the presentembodiment. FIG. 9 illustrates a graph G5 indicating that the operationobject has been moved at equal to or greater than a predetermineddistance, and a graph G6 indicating the pitch of the notification sound,which corresponds to the movement distance illustrated in the graph G5.Further, FIG. 9 illustrates a graph G7 indicating that the movement ofthe operation object has been stopped before the operation object ismoved at equal to or greater than the predetermined distance, and agraph G8 indicating the pitch of the notification sound, whichcorresponds to the movement distance illustrated in the graph G7.

In each of the graphs G5 and G7, the horizontal axis corresponds totime, and the vertical axis corresponds to a position relative to areference that is an initial position of the operation object. Further,in each of the graphs G6 and G8, the horizontal axis corresponds totime, and the vertical axis corresponds to a pitch of the notificationsound. As illustrated in the graphs G5 and G7, the pitch of thenotification sound is gradually increased as the operation object ismoved, and even after the movement distance has exceed the predeterminedthreshold value, similarly, the pitch of the notification sound may beincreased. Note that, in a case where the movement distance of theoperation object has exceeded the predetermined threshold value, afunction associated with the information processing terminal 10 may beexecuted.

On the other hand, as illustrated in the graphs G6 and G8, although thepitch of the notification sound is gradually increased as the operationobject is moved, the operation is ended before the movement distanceexceeds the predetermined threshold value. In such a case, asillustrated in the graph G8, the change of the pitch of the notificationsound may be switched from an upward change to a downward change. Here,the pitch of the notification sound may become approximately the samepitch of the notification sound as that at a moment when the operationby the operation object has been started. Note that, since the movementdistance of the operation object does not exceed the predeterminedthreshold value, the control unit 130 does not execute the similarfunction above.

By comparing the graph G6 with the graph G8, it can be found that themanner of the change of the pitch of the notification sound differsaccording to whether or not the movement distance of the operationobject has exceeded the predetermined threshold value. This difference,therefore, enables the user U to intuitively grasp whether or not acorresponding function has been successfully executed. Note that thenotification-sound output control having been described in FIG. 9 isjust an example, and the present disclosure is not limited to thisexample.

2.2.3. Specific Example 3

Further, the control unit 130 may control, on the basis of the positionof the operation object, which is indicated by the recognized status, asound output associated with an operation region in which the operationobject position is located. That is, the control unit 130 may makefeedback regarding the position of the operation object to the user U onthe basis of the position of the operation object, which is indicated bythe recognized status. For example, in a case where a plurality ofoperation regions exists, the control unit 130 may control a soundoutput on the basis of which operation region the operation object islocated at.

Here, an example of operation regions according to the presentembodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 10. FIG. 10 is adiagram that describes an example of operation regions according to thepresent embodiment. FIG. 10 illustrates the information processingterminal 10 serving as the headphone and worn by the user U, and twokinds of operation regions, that is, an operation available region ORand an operation unavailable region NOR, which are disposed on thetouchpad of the information processing terminal 10. Here, the operationavailable region OR is a circular-shaped region that is available tooperations by the operation object and that the user U is unable tovisually recognize. In FIG. 10, a plurality of the operation availableregions OR exists, and in a case where an operation by the operationobject is executed in any operation available region OR among theoperation available regions OR, the control unit 130 may controlexecution of a function associated with the information processingterminal 10 and corresponding to the operation available region OR. Onthe other hand, the operation unavailable region NOR is a regionunavailable to any operation by the operation object. as a matter ofcourse, the arrangements and the shapes of each of the operationavailable regions OR and each of the operation unavailable regions NORare not limited to such illustrated example.

As described above, a plurality of independent operation regions mayexist. In such a case, the control unit 130 may control the output of asound corresponding to an operation region in which the operation objectis located. The sound output here may be, for example, theabove-described notification sound. Here, examples of output control ofa notification sound corresponding to an operation region in which theoperation object is located, which is performed by the control unit 130according to the present embodiment, will be described with reference toFIG. 11. FIG. 11 depicts diagrams that describe examples of outputcontrol of a notification sound corresponding to an operation region inwhich the operation object is located, which is performed by the controlunit 130 according to the present embodiment. FIG. 11 illustrates theinformation processing terminal 10 serving as the headphone and worn bythe user U, and operation regions R1 to R4. Note that the operationregions R1 to R4 are regions similar to the operation available regionsOR illustrated in FIG. 10.

In the left-hand area of FIG. 11, the hand H of the user U, which is theoperation object, is located at the operation region R1. The recognizedstatus indicates that the hand H of the user U is located at theoperation region R1, and the control unit 130 is causing the output unit140 to output a notification sound corresponding to the operation regionR1. In the right-hand area of FIG. 11, the hand H of the user U, whichis the operation object, is located at the operation region R2. Therecognized status indicates that the hand H of the user U is located atthe operation region R2, and the control unit 130 is causing the outputunit 140 to output a notification sound corresponding to the operationregion R2. Here, the notification sound output from the output unit 140is different from the notification sound that is output in the case ofthe left-hand side of FIG. 11. In this way, in a case where theplurality of operation regions exists, the user U is able to, withoutmaking a visual confirmation, grasp at which of the operation regionsthe operation object is located.

Meanwhile, the user U is unable to visually recognize the operationregions, and thus, there is a possibility that the operation object isunintentionally moved away to the outside of the operation regions.Thus, in a case where it is predicted, according to the recognizedstatus, that the operation object is to be moved away to the outside ofthe operation regions, the control unit 130 may cause a notificationsound to be output for notifying of the predicted movement to theoutside of the operation regions.

Here, an example of notification-sound output control in the case whereit is predicted that the operation object is to be moved away to theoutside of operation regions, which is performed by the control unit 130according to the present embodiment, will be described with reference toFIG. 12. FIG. 12 depicts diagrams that describe an example ofnotification sound output control in the case where it is predicted thatthe operation object is to be moved away to the outside of operationregions, which is performed by the control unit 130 according to thepresent embodiment. FIG. 12 illustrates the information processingterminal 10 serving as the headphone and worn by the user U, and theoperation regions R1 to R4.

In the left-hand area of FIG. 12, like in the left-hand area of FIG. 11,the hand H of the user U, which is the operation object, is located atthe operation region R1. Here, the control unit 130 is causing theoutput unit 140 to output a notification sound corresponding to theoperation region R1. In the right-hand area of FIG. 12, the hand H ofthe user U, which is the operation object, is located at the operationregion R2 and is in a state of being moved from the operation region R2to the outside. In such a state, the control unit 130 causes anotification sound for notifying that it is predicted that the operationobject is to be moved from the operation region R2 to the outside to beoutput. The notification sound that is output in the case of theright-hand area of FIG. 12 may be a sound for notifying a warningregarding a predicted movement of the operation object to the outside ofthe operation regions. In this way, even in the case where the operationobject is about to be moved to the outside of the operation regions, theuser U is able to correct the position of the operation object. Notethat in the case where, regardless of the movement direction of theoperation object, the operation object is located at a position insideand adjacent to an external edge of an operation region, this situationmay be deemed to be a situation in which it is predicted that theoperation object is to be moved to the outside of the operation region.

2.2.4. Specific Example 4

Heretofore, the examples of notification-sound output control in thecase where the notification-sound output control is associated with onlyone operation region have been described. However, the control unit 130may perform notification-sound output control associated with aplurality of operation regions. Specifically, the control unit 130 maycause notification sounds corresponding to the individual operationregions to be output on the basis of position relations between theoperation object and the individual operation regions. For example, thecontrol unit 130 may determine the sound volume, pitch, frequency, andthe like of each of notification sounds that are to be output and thatcorrespond to the individual operation regions, on the basis of theposition relations between the operation object and the operationregions. The sound volume, pitch, frequency, and the like of each of thenotification sounds may be determined on the basis of, for example,distances to the individual operation regions. Moreover, the controlunit 130 may control the outputs of the notification sounds in such away as to guide to a predetermined operation region.

Here, an example of output control of notification sounds correspondingto individual operation regions, which is performed by the control unit130 according to the present embodiment, will be described withreference to FIG. 13. FIG. 13 is a diagram that describes an example ofoutput control of notification sounds corresponding to individualoperation regions, which is performed by the control unit 130 accordingto the present embodiment. FIG. 13 illustrates the informationprocessing terminal 10 serving as the headphone and worn by the user U,and operation available regions OR1 and OR2.

The control unit 130 causes notification sounds corresponding to theindividual operation available regions OR1 and OR2 to be output suchthat the shorter the distances from the operation object to theindividual operation available regions OR1 and OR2 are, the larger thesound volumes of the notification sounds corresponding to the individualoperation regions OR1 and OR2 are. In the example of FIG. 13, theposition at which the hand H of the user U is being in contact with thetouchpad is a position closer to the operation available region OR2 thanto the operation region OR1. Thus, the control unit 130 is causing anotification sound corresponding to the operation available region OR2to be output with a sound volume larger than that of a notificationsound corresponding to the operation available region OR1.

This configuration that causes notification sounds associated with aplurality of operation regions to be output on the basis of the positionrelations between the operation object and the individual operationregions enables the user U to grasp the relative position relationsbetween the operation object and the plurality of operation regions.

Note that, in a case where operation regions include the real space andthe input unit 110 detects the operation object by using the proximitysensor, the control unit 130 may cause notification sounds correspondingto such operation regions to be output on the basis of distances in thereal space between the operation object and the operation regions.

Here, an example of output sound volume control of notification soundscorresponding to individual operation regions, which is performed by thecontrol unit 130 according to the present embodiment, will be describedwith reference to FIG. 14. FIG. 14 is a diagram that describes anexample of output sound volume control of notification soundscorresponding to individual operation regions, which is performed by thecontrol unit 130 according to the present embodiment. FIG. 14 has thehorizontal axis corresponding to a position and the vertical axiscorresponding to a sound volume, and illustrates a graph BG includingboundary points LP and RP each being a boundary between an operationregion and another region. The boundary points LP and RP are boundarypoints located at boundaries with operation regions that are differentfrom each other, and the area between the boundary points LP and RP isnot included in the operation regions. Further, an intermediate point Mis located at a middle point, and distances from this middle point tothe boundary points LP and RP are equal to each other.

The graph BG indicates, in a case where the operation object is locatedbetween the boundary points LP and RP, a sound volume LB of anotification sound corresponding to the boundary point LP and a soundvolume RB of a notification sound corresponding to the boundary pointRP. As indicated in the graph BG, the control unit 130 causes thenotification sounds to be output such that the closer to each of theboundary points the position of the operation object is, the larger thesound volume of a corresponding one of the notification sounds is. Notethat the sum of the sound volume LB of the notification soundcorresponding to the boundary point LP and the sound volume RB of thenotification sound corresponding to the boundary point RP is madeconstant in order to make it easy for the user U to recognize thechanges of the sound volumes of the individual notification sounds. In acase where the operation object is located at the intermediate point M,the sound volume of each of the notification sounds is half a maximumvalue.

This configuration that causes the sound volumes of a plurality ofnotification sounds, which correspond to the distances between theoperation object and a plurality of operation regions, to be changed atthe same time enables the user U to intuitively recognize the positionof the operation object.

Meanwhile, the control unit 130 may cause information notified of by anotification sound to be varied on the basis of the position relationbetween the operation object and an aggregate of the plurality ofoperation regions. For example, in the case where the operation objectis located in an area between any ones of the plurality of operationregions, the control unit 130 may output such notification sounds asthose illustrated in FIG. 14. On the other hand, for example, in thecase where the operation object is located in an area outside an area inwhich the plurality of operation regions exists, the control unit 130may output a notification sound for notifying that the operation objectis located in the area outside the area in which the plurality ofoperation regions exists because it is prioritized to cause the hand Hof the user U to move into the area in which the plurality of operationregions exists.

Here, position relations between the operation object and the pluralityof operation regions as well as output control associated with theposition relations, according to the present embodiment, will bedescribed with reference to FIG. 15. FIG. 15 depicts diagrams thatdescribe an example of position relations between the operation objectand the plurality of operation regions, according to the presentembodiment. FIG. 15 illustrates the hand H of the user U and operationavailable regions OR1 and OR2.

In the left-hand area of FIG. 15, the hand H of the user U is locatedbetween the operation available regions OR1 and OR2, and thus, thecontrol unit 130 causes notification sounds corresponding to theindividual operation regions to be output on the basis of the positionrelations between the operation object and the individual operationregions. In the middle area of FIG. 5, the hand H of the user U islocated in the operation available region OR1, and thus, the controlunit 130 causes only a notification sound corresponding to the operationavailable region OR1 to be output. In the right-hand area of FIG. 15,the hand H of the user U is located outside the operation executableareas OR1 and OR2, and thus, the control unit 130 causes a notificationsound that notifies that the operation object is located outside theoperation available regions OR1 and OR2, this notification sound beingdifferent from the notification sound that is output at a time when theoperation object is located at the position illustrated in the left-handarea of FIG. 15.

This configuration that causes an output notification sound to be variedon the basis of position relations between the operation object and theplurality of operation regions enables the user U to further comfortablyperform operations for the terminal.

Note that the control unit 130 may notify the user U by means of asound, only in the case where the operation object is located outsidethe operation available regions OR1 and OR2. This configuration makes itpossible to issue a warning against the user U with further certainty ina case where the operation object has been largely out of the pluralityof operation regions, and in any other similar case. Also in a casewhere the information processing terminal 10 is an HMD (Head MountedDisplay), the above notification can be applied thereto as a furthercertain warning.

2.2.5. Specific Example 5

Meanwhile, a configuration that enables the user U to, when performingan operation by use of the operation object in a region that the user Uis unable to visually recognize, grasp a region (or a point) thatbecomes a reference may enhance the operability. For example, when theuser U has become unable to grasp the position of the hand H of the userU, the user is able to grasp the position of the hand H again byreturning the position of the hand H to a region serving as a reference.Thus, in a case where it has been recognized that the operation objectis located at a reference region that serves as a reference foroperations by the operation object, the control unit 130 may control theoutput of a notification sound corresponding to the reference region.

Here, an example of notification-sound output control associated with areference region, which is performed by the control unit 130 accordingto the present embodiment, will be described with reference to FIG. 16.FIG. 16 depicts diagrams that describe an example of notification-soundoutput control associated with a reference region, which is performed bythe control unit 130 according to the present embodiment. FIG. 16illustrates the information processing terminal 10 serving as theheadphone and worn by the user U, and a reference region SR. In FIG. 16,the reference region SR is a region that has been determined in advanceand that is suitable as an operation start region.

In the left-hand area of FIG. 16, the hand H of the user U, which is theoperation object, is moving on the touchpad (flick movement) in thehorizontal direction. The hand H of the user U is located outside thereference region SR. Here, since the hand H of the user U is not locatedat the reference region, the control unit 130 does not cause anynotification sound to be output.

On the other hand, in the right-hand area of FIG. 16, the hand H of theuser U is located at the reference region SR. It is indicated by therecognized status that the hand H of the user U is located at thereference region SR, and the control unit 130 causes a notificationsound corresponding to the reference region SR to be output.

This configuration in which the control unit 130 causes a notificationsound corresponding to the reference region SR to be output makes itpossible to perform an operation from a point that becomes a reference,and thus enables achievement of further accurate operations.

Note that, in the example illustrated in FIG. 16, the control unit 130does not cause any notification sound to be output in a case where theoperation object is not located at the reference region SR, while thecontrol unit 130 may cause a notification sound to be output in such away as to guide to the reference region SR. For example, in a case whereslide operations in a predetermined direction are successivelyperformed, employing a configuration that causes the operation object toreturn to the reference region SR after having performed a slideoperation in a predetermined direction once and then perform a slideoperation in the same direction again makes it possible to avoid asituation in which the operation object deviates from an operationregion, and any other similar situation, thus enabling operations to beexecuted with further certainty. Note that the guidance to the referenceregion SR by the notification sound is achieved by, for example, suchmethods as illustrated in FIGS. 13 to 15. Further, the size of thereference region SR is not limited to such a size as illustrated in FIG.16.

Meanwhile, in the example illustrated in FIG. 16, the reference regionSR exists in a portion having been determined in advance. In thisregard, however, for a user U having a habit of performing operations inonly a biased portion in an operation area, the use of the referenceregion SR does not necessarily facilitate the operations. Thus, the userU may determine a portion at which the reference region SR is to bedisposed. Specifically, for such a reference region SR, a portion whichis located in an operation region and at which the user U first startsan operation may be determined as the reference region SR. Thisconfiguration enables achievement of further comfortable operationssuitable for an operation habit of each of users U.

Note that the “portion at which an operation is first started” means,for example, a portion at which the operation object for executing onefunction is first located on an operation region, or the like.Alternatively, the “portion at which an operation is first started” maybe, for example, a portion at which the operation object is firstlocated on an operation region when a plurality of operations issuccessively performed. The definition of the “portion at which anoperation is first started” is not limited to the above examples.

Here, an example of notification-sound output control associated with areference region whose position is optionally determined, which isperformed by the control unit 130 according to the present embodiment,will be described with reference to FIG. 17. FIG. 17 depicts diagramsthat describe an example of notification-sound output control associatedwith a reference region whose position is optionally determined, whichis performed by the control unit 130 according to the presentembodiment. FIG. 17 illustrates the information processing terminal 10serving as the headphone and worn by the user U.

In the left-hand area of FIG. 17, the hand H of the user U, which is theoperation object, is first brought into contact with the touchpad. Atthis point, no reference region SR exists. Here, the control unit 130determines a portion with which the hand H of the user U has first beenbrought into contact, as the reference region SR.

On the other hand, in the right-hand area of FIG. 17, the referenceregion SR having been determined by the control unit 130 is illustrated.Here, it is indicated by the recognized status that the hand H of theuser U is located at the reference region SR, and thus, the control unit130 causes a notification sound corresponding to the reference region SRto be output.

This configuration in which the control unit 130 determines thereference region SR at a time when the user U starts an operation usingan operation region enables achievement of comfortable operationssuitable for a habit of each of users U.

2.2.6. Specific Example 6

Heretofore, the specific examples of the case where the informationprocessing terminal 10 is the headphone and one or more operationregions exist on the touchpad have been mainly described, but asdescribed above, the information processing terminal 10 may be theearphone. The earphone serving as the information processing terminal 10may include a touch sensor or a proximity sensor as the input unit 110.For the earphone whose size is smaller than that of the headphone, asituation sometimes arise in which operations by means of the touchpadare difficult, and thus, in-space operations by means of the proximitysensor may be suitable. In the description below, an example in whichthe earphone includes the proximity sensor as the input unit 110 will bedescribed. The in-space position of the operation object is recognizedby means of the proximity sensor.

FIG. 18 is a diagram that describes an example of a case where operationregions exist in a space, according to the present embodiment. FIG. 18illustrates the information processing terminal 10 serving as theearphone, and operation regions AR1 to AR4 existing in a space.

As illustrated in FIG. 18, the operation regions AR1 to AR4 exist in athree-dimensional space, not on the touchpad. In a case where theoperation object exists in any one of the operation regions AR1 to AR4,the control unit 130 may control the output of a notification sound.Further, on the basis of a recognized status regarding the operationobject that is executing a gesture in any one of the operation regionsAR1 to AR4, the control unit 130 may dynamically control the output ofnotification information associated with a function corresponding to thegesture.

Further, in a case where operation regions exist in a space, thedistance between the operation object and the information processingterminal 10 can be detected by the proximity sensor. Thus, in a casewhere a distance between the operation object and the informationprocessing terminal 10 is indicated as the recognized status, thecontrol unit 130 may perform notification-sound output control based onthe distance.

FIG. 19 depicts diagrams that describe an example of a case where adistance between the operation object and the information processingterminal 10 is indicated as a recognized status and execution control ofa function associated with the information processing terminal 10 isperformed on the basis of the distance by the control unit 130 accordingto the present embodiment. FIG. 19 illustrates the informationprocessing terminal 10 serving as the earphone, and the hand H of theuser U.

As illustrated in the left-hand area of FIG. 19, the hand H of the userU and the information processing terminal 10 are spaced from each otherby a distance D3. In a case where the recognized status indicates that,as illustrated in the right-hand area of FIG. 19, the hand H of the userU has approached a position spaced from the information processingterminal 10 by a distance D4, that is, in a case where the recognizedstatus indicates that the hand H of the user U is executing a gesturefor approaching the information processing terminal 10, the control unit130 performs notification-sound output control based on a distancechange from the distance D3 to the distance D4. In the example of FIG.19, when the distance between the hand H of the user U and theinformation processing terminal 10 has changed from the distance D3 tothe distance D4, the control unit 130 makes the sound volume of anotification sound output from the information processing terminal 10large.

In addition to the above, the control unit 130 may control the output ofthe notification sound on the basis of whether or not the operationobject is being located in an operation region. Specifically, thecontrol unit 130 may control the output of the notification sound on thebasis of whether or not the operation object is being located in a spacewhere the detection by the input unit 110 is available.

Here, an example of a case where an operation region is located in aspace, is performed by the control unit 130 according to the presentembodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 20. FIG. 20illustrates the information processing terminal 10 serving as theearphone, and operation regions AR1 to AR4 existing in a space.

In the left-hand area of FIG. 20, the hand H of the user U, which is theoperation object, is located outside a space serving as an operationregion. The recognized status indicates that the hand H of the user U islocated outside the space serving as the operation region, and thus, thecontrol unit 130 does not cause any notification sound to be output.

On the other hand, the hand H of the user U is located inside the spaceserving as the operation region. The recognized status indicates thatthe hand H of the user U is located inside the space serving as theoperation region, and thus, the control unit 130 causes a notificationsound corresponding to the reference region SR to be output.

This configuration makes it possible to confirm whether or not theoperation object is located inside a space serving as an operationregion, thus enabling the user U to grasp an operation region thatexists in a space and that the user U is unable to visually recognize.

Heretofore, the specific examples of notification-sound output controlby the control unit 130 have been described. In the above description,the examples in which the information processing terminal 10 is theheadphone or the earphone have been described, but the presentdisclosure is not limited to such examples. The information processingterminal 10 may be, for example, a touch panel for a vehicle. It isdifficult for a driver to, while driving an automobile, visuallyrecognize the touch panel for use in various operations. At such time,notifying the driver of information by means of notification soundsand/or vibrations by the information processing terminal 10 attached tothe back side of a handle enables the driver to execute variousoperations.

Further, the information processing terminal 10 may be an autonomousvehicle or the like. A configuration in which, while a user U isexecuting gesture operations to an autonomous mobility, the autonomousmobility appropriately makes feedback by means of notification soundsand/or vibrations enables the user U to enjoy interactions with theautonomous mobility to a further degree. Further, the above-describedtechnologies can be also applied to devices that provide VR (virtualReality) content. A user U is often in a situation of being unable tovisually recognize a controller or the like while using such VR content.Thus, the above-described technologies enable the user U to, whilelistening to notification sounds associated with operations for thecontroller, perform the operations further accurately.

3. OPERATION EXAMPLES

Subsequently, the flows of operation of notification-sound outputcontrol performed by the control unit 130 according to the presentembodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 21 to 23.

First, an example of the flow of operation of notification-sound outputcontrol that is based on the comparison of a movement distance of theoperation object with a predetermined threshold value and that isperformed by the control unit 130 according to the present embodimentwill be described with reference to FIG. 21. Referring to FIG. 21,first, the input unit 110 detects an operation object, and therecognition unit 120 recognizes the position of the detected operationobject (S101). Next, the control unit 130 causes the pitch or frequencyof a notification sound to be changed according to a movement distanceof the operation object, which is based on the operation object'sposition having been recognized in step S101 (S102).

Next, in a case where the movement distance of the operation object,which is based on the operation object's position having been recognizedin step S101, exceeds a predetermined threshold value (S103: YES), thecontrol unit 130 raises the frequency of the notification sound (S104),and the information processing terminal 10 ends the operation. On thecontrary, in a case where the movement distance of the operation object,which is based on the operation object's position having been recognizedin step S101, does not exceed the predetermined threshold value (S103:NO) and the operation by the operation object has not been ended (S105:NO), the flow returns to step S101.

On the contrary, in the case where the movement distance of theoperation object, which is based on the operation object's positionhaving been recognized in step S101, does not exceed the predeterminedthreshold value (S103: NO) and the operation by the operation object hasbeen ended (S105: YES), the control unit 130 lowers the frequency of thenotification sound (S106), and the information processing terminal 10ends the operation.

Subsequently, an example of the flow of operation of notification-soundoutput control based on a gesture type, which is performed by thecontrol unit 130 according to the present embodiment, will be describedwith reference to FIG. 22. Referring to FIG. 22, first, the control unit130 performs preprocessing in recognition processing for recognizing theoperation object (S201). Next, in a case where the operation object islocated in an operation range (S202: YES), the control unit 130 startsthe reception of a gesture (S203).

Next, in a case where preliminary operation of a gesture has not beenrecognized by the recognition unit 120 (S204: NO), the flow returns tostep S202. On the contrary, in a case where the preliminary operation ofa gesture has been recognized (S204: YES) and it has been recognizedthat the gesture is being subsequently made after the preliminaryoperation of the gesture (S205: YES), the control unit 130 controls theoutput of a notification sound recognized in step S205 (S206), and theinformation processing terminal 10 ends the operation.

On the contrary, in the case where the preliminary operation of thegesture has been recognized by the recognition unit 120 (S204: YES) andit has not been recognized that the gesture is being subsequently madeafter the preliminary operation of the gesture (3205: NO), the controlunit 130 ends the reception of a gesture (S207), and informationprocessing terminal 10 returns to step S201.

Subsequently, an example of the flow of operation of the output controlof a notification sound corresponding to an operation region, which isperformed by the control unit 130 according to the present embodiment,will be described with reference to FIG. 23. Referring to FIG. 23,first, in a case where the operation object exists in an operationregion (S301: YES), the control unit 130 causes a notification soundcorresponding to the operation region to be output (S302), and thecontrol unit 130 ends the operation.

On the contrary, in a case where the operation object does not exist inany operation region (S301: NO) and a plurality of operation regionsexists (S303: YES), the control unit 130 causes the pitch or frequencyof a notification sound to be changed according to distances from theoperation object to the individual operation regions (S304), and thecontrol unit 130 ends the operation. Further, on the contrary, in thecase where the operation object does not exist in any operation region(S301: NO) and only one operation region exists (S303: NO), the controlunit 130 causes the pitch or frequency of a notification sound to bechanged according to a distance from the operation object to the oneoperation region (S305), and the control unit 130 ends the operation.

4. HARDWARE CONFIGURATION EXAMPLE

Next, a hardware configuration example of an information processingterminal 10 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will bedescribed. FIG. 24 is a block diagram illustrating a hardwareconfiguration example of the information processing terminal 10according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Referring to FIG.24, the information processing terminal 10 includes, for example, aprocessor 871, a ROM 872, a RAM 873, a host bus 874, a bridge 875, anexternal bus 876, an interface 877, an input device 878, an outputdevice 879, a storage 880, a drive 881, a connection port 882, and acommunication device 883. Note that the hardware configuration indicatedhere is just an example, and a portion of the above constituent elementsmay be omitted. Further, one or more constituent elements other than theabove constituent elements indicated here may be further included.

(Processor 871)

The processor 871 functions as, for example, an arithmetic processingdevice or a control device, and controls the entire or a portion of theoperation of individual constituent elements on the basis of variouskinds of programs recorded in the ROM 872, the RAM 873, the storage 880,or a removable recording medium 901.

(ROM 872 and RAM 873)

The ROM 872 is means that stores programs to be read into the processor871, data used in arithmetic processing, and any other kind of data. TheRAM 873 temporarily or permanently stores, for example, the programs tobe read into the processor 871, various kinds of parameters that arechanged as appropriate when the programs are executed, and the like.

(Host Bus 874, Bridge 875, External Bus 876, and Interface 877)

The processor 871, the ROM 872, the RAM 873 are coupled to one anothervia the host bus 874 capable of implementing, for example, high-speeddata transmission. On the other hand, the host bus 874 is coupled to,for example, the external bus 876 having a relatively low-speed datatransmission capability via the bridge 875. Further, the external bus876 is coupled to various constituent elements via the interface 877.

(Input Device 878)

In the input device 878, for example, a mouse device, a keyboard, atouch panel, buttons, switches, levers, and the like are used. Moreover,as the input device 878, a remote controller (hereinafter referred to asremote control) capable of transmitting control signals by usinginfrared rays or any other kind of radio waves may be used. Furthermore,the input device 878 includes an audio input device such as amicrophone.

(Output Device 879)

The output device 879 is a device capable of visually or audiblynotifying a user of acquired information, and includes, for example, adisplay device such as a CRT (Cathode Ray Tube), an LCD, or an organicEL, audio output devices such as a speaker and a headphone, a printer, amobile phone, a facsimile machine, and the like. Further, the outputdevice 879 according to the present disclosure includes variousvibration devices each capable of outputting a tactile stimulus.

(Storage 880)

The storage 880 is a device for storing various kinds of data. As thestorage 880, for example, a magnetic storage device such as a hard diskdrive (HDD), a semiconductor storage device, an optical storage device,a magneto-optical storage device, or the like is used.

(Drive 881)

The drive 881 is a device for reading information recorded in aremovable recording medium 901 such as a magnetic disk, an optical disk,a magneto-optical disk, or a semiconductor memory, or writinginformation into the removable recording medium 901.

(Removable Recording Medium 901)

The removable recording medium 901 is, for example, a DVD medium, aBlu-ray (registered trademark) medium, an HD DVD medium, various kindsof semiconductor storage media, or the like. As a matter of course theremovable recording medium 901 may be, for example, an IC card with acontactless IC chip, an electronic device, or the like.

(Connection Port 882)

The connection port 882 is a port for connecting to an externalconnection device 902, and is, for example, a USB (Universal Serial Bus)port, an IEEE 1394 port, an SCSI (Small Computer System Interface), anRS-232C port, an optical audio terminal, or the like.

(External Connection Device 902)

The external connection device 902 is, for example, a printer, aportable music player, a digital camera, a digital video camera, an ICrecorder, or the like.

(Communication Device 883)

The communication device 883 is a communication device for connecting toa network, and is, for example, a communication card for a wired or awireless LAN, Bluetooth (registered trademark), or WUSB (Wireless USB),a router for optical communication, a router for an ADSL (AsymmetricDigital Subscriber Line), a modem for various kinds of communication, orthe like.

5. SUMMARY

As described above, the information processing terminal 10 according tothe present embodiment enables a user to, in a region that the user isunable to visually recognize, confirm the success/failure of each ofoperations, and perform a wider variety of operations.

Heretofore, a preferred embodiment of the present disclosure has beendescribed in detail referring to the accompanying diagrams, but thetechnical scope of the present disclosure is not limited to suchexamples. It is obvious that any person having a normal knowledge in thetechnical field of the present disclosure is able to conceive of variouschange examples or modification examples within the scope of thetechnical thought described in claims of the present description, and asa matter of course, it is to be understood that the change examples andmodification examples also belong to the technical scope of the presentdisclosure.

Further, the effects having been described in the present descriptionare just informative or exemplary ones, and do not limit other effects.That is, the technologies according to the present disclosure may bringabout, in addition to or in substitution for the above-describedeffects, other effects that become obvious for those skilled in the artfrom the descriptions of the present description.

It should be noted that such configurations as described below alsobelong to the technical scope of the present disclosure.

(1)

An information processing device including:

a control unit that, on the basis of a position of a recognizedoperation object, dynamically controls output of an informationassociated with at least one operation region in which the recognizedoperation object is located,

in which, in a case where the recognized operation object is located inthe operation region, the control unit controls execution of a devicefunction corresponding to the operation region in which the recognizedoperation object is located, and

the operation region includes a region incapable of being visuallyrecognized by a user.

(2)

The information processing device according to (1),

in which, on the basis of the position of the recognized operationobject, the control unit dynamically controls output of a soundassociated with the operation region in which the recognized operationobject is located.

(3)

The information processing device according to (2),

in which, further on the basis of whether or not the position of therecognized operation object is in the operation region, the control unitdynamically controls the output of the sound.

(4)

The information processing device according to (3),

in which the control unit dynamically controls the output of the soundin such a way as to guide the operation object to the operation region.

(5)

The information processing device according to any one of (2) to (4),

in which, on the basis of the position of the recognized operationobject relative to a reference region serving as a reference for anoperation by the operation object, the control unit dynamically controlsthe output of the sound.

(6)

The information processing device according to (5),

in which the control unit dynamically controls the output of the soundin such a way as to guide the recognized operation object to thereference region.

(7)

The information processing device according to (5) or (6),

in which, in a case where the position of the recognized operationobject is in the reference region, the control unit dynamically controlsthe output of the sound in such a way as to notify that the position ofthe recognized operation object is in the reference region.

(8)

The information processing device according to any one of (5) to (7),

in which the control unit determines, as the reference region, theposition of the recognized operation object at a time when the operationby the operation object is first started.

(9)

The information processing device according to any one of (2) to (8),

in which, in a case where a plurality of the operation regions exists,the control unit dynamically controls output of a sound corresponding toeach of the operation regions.

(10)

The information processing device according to (9),

in which, in a case where the recognized operation object is moving,further on the basis of a movement direction of the recognized operationobject, the control unit dynamically controls the output of the soundcorresponding to each of the operation regions.

(11)

The information processing device according to any one of (2) to (10),

in which, further on the basis of a position relation between theposition of the recognized operation object and a position of each ofthe operation regions, the control unit dynamically controls output of asound corresponding to each of the operation regions.

(12)

The information processing device according to (11),

in which the position relation with each of the operation regions is adistance to each of the operation regions, and on the basis of thedistance from the recognized operation object to each of the operationregions, the control unit dynamically controls the output of the soundcorresponding to each of the operation regions.

(13)

The information processing device according to any one of (2) to (12),

in which, in a case where a movement of the recognized operation objectfrom an inside of the operation region to an outside of the operationregion is predicted, the control unit dynamically controls the output ofthe sound in such a way as to notify of the predicted movement of therecognized operation object.

(14)

The information processing device according to any one of (2) to (13),

in which, further on the basis of an in-space position relation betweenthe recognized operation object and the information processing device,the control unit dynamically controls the output of the sound.

(15)

An information processing method including:

on the basis of a position of a recognized operation object, allowing aprocessor to dynamically control output of an information associatedwith at least one operation region in which the recognized operationobject is located; and

in a case where the recognized operation object is located in theoperation region, allowing the processor to control execution of adevice function corresponding to the operation region in which therecognized operation object is located,

in which the operation region includes a region incapable of beingvisually recognized by a user.

(16)

A program for causing a computer to function as:

an information processing device including

-   -   a control unit that, on the basis of a position of a recognized        operation object, dynamically controls output of an information        associated with at least one operation region in which the        recognized operation object is located,    -   the control unit being configured to, in a case where the        recognized operation object is located in the operation region,        control execution of a device function corresponding to the        operation region in which the recognized operation object is        located, and    -   the operation region including a region incapable of being        visually recognized by a user.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST

-   -   10: Information processing terminal    -   110: Input unit    -   120: Recognition unit    -   130: Control unit    -   140: Output unit    -   150: Storage unit    -   160: Communication unit

1. An information processing device comprising: a control unit that, ona basis of a position of a recognized operation object, dynamicallycontrols output of an information associated with at least one operationregion in which the recognized operation object is located, wherein, ina case where the recognized operation object is located in the operationregion, the control unit controls execution of a device functioncorresponding to the operation region in which the recognized operationobject is located, and the operation region includes a region incapableof being visually recognized by a user.
 2. The information processingdevice according to claim 1, wherein, on the basis of the position ofthe recognized operation object, the control unit dynamically controlsoutput of a sound associated with the operation region in which therecognized operation object is located.
 3. The information processingdevice according to claim 2, wherein, further on a basis of whether ornot the position of the recognized operation object is in the operationregion, the control unit dynamically controls the output of the sound.4. The information processing device according to claim 3, wherein thecontrol unit dynamically controls the output of the sound in such a wayas to guide the operation object to the operation region.
 5. Theinformation processing device according to claim 2, wherein, on a basisof the position of the recognized operation object relative to areference region serving as a reference for an operation by theoperation object, the control unit dynamically controls the output ofthe sound.
 6. The information processing device according to claim 5,wherein the control unit dynamically controls the output of the sound insuch a way as to guide the recognized operation object to the referenceregion.
 7. The information processing device according to claim 5,wherein, in a case where the position of the recognized operation objectis in the reference region, the control unit dynamically controls theoutput of the sound in such a way as to notify that the position of therecognized operation object is in the reference region.
 8. Theinformation processing device according to claim 5, wherein the controlunit determines, as the reference region, the position of the recognizedoperation object at a time when the operation by the operation object isfirst started.
 9. The information processing device according to claim2, wherein, in a case where a plurality of the operation regions exists,the control unit dynamically controls output of a sound corresponding toeach of the operation regions.
 10. The information processing deviceaccording to claim 9, wherein, in a case where the recognized operationobject is moving, further on a basis of a movement direction of therecognized operation object, the control unit dynamically controls theoutput of the sound corresponding to each of the operation regions. 11.The information processing device according to claim 2, wherein, furtheron a basis of a position relation between the position of the recognizedoperation object and a position of each of the operation regions, thecontrol unit dynamically controls output of a sound corresponding toeach of the operation regions.
 12. The information processing deviceaccording to claim 11, wherein the position relation with each of theoperation regions is a distance to each of the operation regions, and ona basis of the distance from the recognized operation object to each ofthe operation regions, the control unit dynamically controls the outputof the sound corresponding to each of the operation regions.
 13. Theinformation processing device according to claim 2, wherein, in a casewhere a movement of the recognized operation object from an inside ofthe operation region to an outside of the operation region is predicted,the control unit dynamically controls the output of the sound in such away as to notify of the predicted movement of the recognized operationobject.
 14. The information processing device according to claim 2,wherein, further on a basis of an in-space position relation between therecognized operation object and the information processing device, thecontrol unit dynamically controls the output of the sound.
 15. Aninformation processing method comprising: on a basis of a position of arecognized operation object, allowing a processor to dynamically controloutput of an information associated with at least one operation regionin which the recognized operation object is located; and in a case wherethe recognized operation object is located in the operation region,allowing the processor to control execution of a device functioncorresponding to the operation region in which the recognized operationobject is located, wherein the operation region includes a regionincapable of being visually recognized by a user.
 16. A program forcausing a computer to function as: an information processing deviceincluding a control unit that, on a basis of a position of a recognizedoperation object, dynamically controls output of an informationassociated with at least one operation region in which the recognizedoperation object is located, the control unit being configured to, in acase where the recognized operation object is located in the operationregion, control execution of a device function corresponding to theoperation region in which the recognized operation object is located,and the operation region including a region incapable of being visuallyrecognized by a user.